The state of West Virginia is going to extraordinary lengths after being left out of the men’s NCAA tournament this year, and ESPN commentator Elle Duncan is fed up.
After Gov. Patrick Morrissey announced an investigation into the NCAA over the Mountaineers’ snub, Duncan unleashed a rant decrying politicians like Morrissey who put on their sports fan hat in big moments to “curry favor” with their constituents — rather than focusing on what really matters.
“It’s so silly,” Duncan said Tuesday on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. “I love when politicians try to cosplay as irrational, angry fans. How many West Virginia games do we think that dude has watched this year? Where’s West Virginia in terms of public school rankings, because I think they’re like 35th in the United States. Where’s your outrage for that? Where’s your outrage for literally anything else that’s happening in the country right now, but this is your sticking point? You’re pissed about this?”
According to a 2023 report from Scholaroo, the state ranked 34th in state education. And like any state, a governor has a laundry list of issues that they campaign on and that could make their constituents’ lives better.
Duncan’s point wasn’t that West Virginia is any worse off than another state in the U.S., but that Morrissey’s actions were transparently hollow. By wasting time on an investigation that won’t lead anywhere in time for this year’s NCAA tournament (and likely at all), those are valuable hours that could be better spent on real issues.
“Whenever politicians do this, it’s so f***ing annoying, because you don’t care,” Duncan added. “You’re just trying to rally up your base, curry a little bit of favor, but you don’t care. And there are certainly more important things in the state of West Virginia that need to be addressed.”
Even within sports, there are pressing issues that do matter to people. For example, NIL policy, public school sports funding from elementary through college, and gambling regulations are all decided at the state level.
When a leader like Morrissey wastes time with a stunt, Duncan believes they not only allocate resources incorrectly, but it shows just how clueless they are as to what is important within sports in the first place.
Plus, Elle Duncan argued Morrissey is fighting a losing battle with the Mountaineers’ tourney bid in the first place.
“If all things are equal, they’re always going to go with a Blue Blood,” she said. “And that’s because of ratings.”
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.